Sail-World.com's NZ and America's Cup Editor, Richard Gladwell, spent three hours perched on the after beam of Emirates Team NZ's AC72 for a training session on the Hauraki Gulf. Sailing in winds of up to 25kts, the AC72 hit an amazing 43.6kts and didn't even feel like she was breaking into a sweat. He reports on Wednesday's race and test session.

Imagine you are standing on top of an Emirates jet on that final mad charge down the runway before takeoff.

The engines are screaming and every imperfection in the runway is magnified into the jolting that reverberates through the plane just before it leaves the ground.

Next, take that mental snapshot and overlay it on to a boat the dimensions of a tennis court (well three metres wider), flying down the harbour, a couple of metres above the sea, travelling at a speed of more than 40kts.

This is the surreal world of the AC72 catamaran and the 34th America’s Cup.

This is a must read article …. The Sail-World team’s detailed coverage of the America’s Cup will continue all the way to San Francisco in September 2013. Join us for the ride.

And while we are talking speed, Australia's Paul Larsen is getting a serious dose ,as the Vestas Sailrocket 2 has already hit 60 knots.

And of course the Vendee Globe fleet is enjoying some interesting times.

Lots of news today… grab some coffee and enjoy your time with us …

by The Sail-World.com Team - 5:58 AM Thu 15 Nov 2012 GMT

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